Handpicked holiday deals: NYC’s indie green beauty brands

No swimming upstream for something special in Sephora. Well+Good handpicked our favorite homegrown indie beauty brands that have serious city soul. Each NYC company shares a clean approach to formulating (no parabens) and, right now, a Filene’s approach to pricing.
Four NYC friends created Juara

BUDDHA NOSE (Aromatherapy and body care)
NYC yogis made aromatherapist Amy Galper’s line of organic balms, aromatherapy mists, bath salts, scrubs, and lip balms a cult favorite. It’s since hit the beauty-product big time at the swish Connecticut Mayflower Inn & Spa, where it’s used in treatments.What’s the deal: Use coupon code WGBUDDHA09 at checkout and get 15% off through Dec. 15, 2009.Free gift with purchase: Spend over $50 with this coupon code, and get a free USDA-organic orange vanilla lip balm (worth $8).www.buddhanose.com

Beautifying Brooklyn hipsters since 2005

ARMOUR BEAUTY (Lip gloss)
Model, rock star, Brooklynite: Theo Kogan’s line of lip glosses give green-leaning New Yorker (as well as actresses and models) their eco-chic edge.What’s the deal: Buy one lip gloss, get one free (limit one deal per customer) through Dec. 15, 2009 with coupon code HOLIDAY09 www.armourbeauty.comCreated by one of NYC's green makeup artists

RMS BEAUTY (Makeup)
Health issues prompted NYC makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift to give up traditional cosmetics and create her chemical-free organic color line that’s raw and unprocessed yet catwalk chic.What’s the deal: Cream eye shadows in six shades with subtle metallic tones, originally $36 are now $28 (while supplies last).www.rmsbeauty.comOrganic beauty, created by two city acupuncturists

SHĒ ESSENTIAL BEAUTY (Skin care and body care)
Two NYC acupuncturists created this organic line (the name means “luxury”) with Chinese herbs. (It’s used in their Shē Essential Beauty Acu-glow Facial.)What’s the deal: 20% off purchases, plus free shipping, using coupon code HOLIDAY09 through Dec. 18, 2009.What we’d buy: I’d use it to buy a gift set (for a friend) and the new Night Serum (for me).www.sheessentialbeauty.com

COCOON HAIR STUDIO (Hair)
Fabian’s Lliguin, the stylist-founder of eco-friendly Amazon Beauty, the hair-care line based on rahua-nut oils from the Ecuadorian rainforest, has a one-chair atelier on the Upper East Side.What’s the deal: One free repairing Omega 9 Hair Treatment with scalp massage at Cocoon Studio (valued at $100), with the purchase of a precision haircut with Lliguin, which costs $150. Offer is good through Dec. 19, 2009.www.cocoonhair.comKahina benefits the Berber women behind it

KAHINA GIVING BEAUTY (Skin care)
Inspired by a trip she took to Morocco, Katharine Lheureux’s argan-oil-based beauty products benefit the Moroccan women who collect and cold-press the oils.What’s the deal: Take 15% off all products from Dec. 8–Dec. 31, 2009, with code: Giving Beauty.What we’d buy: The three-item travel set or the new Eye Serum, which contain EFA-rich oils, which are especially nourishing in winter.www.kahina-givingbeauty.comHope Gillerman's best-selling Winter Relief Kit

H.GILLERMAN ORGANICS (Aromatherapy and health remedies)Stressed-out New Yorkers and her Alexander Technique students inspired Hope Gillerman’s line of aroma-health remedies, many of which are USDA-certified.What’s the deal: Free shipping for orders over $50 until Jan. 1, 2010, and more…Today through Dec. 2, 2009:
All Pure Breathing, True Relaxation, Natural Rest and Clear Mind products ($48 each), plus all full-size Wellness Kits ($95 each) are 20% off, and come with a free Essential Oils Deck (worth $13.95; Chronicle Books) by Hope Gillerman using this link.Today through Jan. 1, 2010:
Purchase of a full-size Wellness Kit includes a free Essential Oils Deck, using these links: Loosen Up Wellness Kit, Dream On Wellness Kit, Chill Out Wellness Kit, Winter Relief Wellness Kit.www.hgillermanorganics.com